By: Husanjot Chahal, Columnist Photo Credit: Retuers On September 26, 2017, radical Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka stormed a United Nations (UN) safe house hosting 31 Rohingya refugees, throwing stones while chanting, “Rohingyas are terrorists,” and accusing them of having killed Buddhists in Myanmar.[i] The attack forced the group of refugees—majority women and children—to flee, … Continue reading Militant Monks of Sri Lanka
Category: South & Central Asia
Rethinking the South Asia Strategy—Addressing the Root Causes of Afghanistan/Pakistan Tensions
By: Doug Livermore, Columnist Photo Credit: Reuters The recently announced US South Asia Strategy represents one of the Trump administration’s first comprehensive, whole of government approaches to global affairs. The most prominent aspect of the strategy noted by foreign affairs observers was the transition to a “conditions based” approach for assessing progress and appropriate troop … Continue reading Rethinking the South Asia Strategy—Addressing the Root Causes of Afghanistan/Pakistan Tensions
World Leaders Should Have Seen the Rohingya Crisis Coming
By: Sara Sirota, Columnist Photo Credit: New York Times Myanmar’s expulsion of 500,000 Rohingya Muslims is not a sudden or unexpected event. It follows decades of systemic oppression and months of heightened fragility in Rakhine state, where the Burmese Army and Buddhist extremists look upon their Rohingya neighbors as unwanted foreigners and threats to regional … Continue reading World Leaders Should Have Seen the Rohingya Crisis Coming
Sri Lanka: Battleground for an Asian Power Imbroglio?
By: Husanjot Chahal, Columnist Photo Credit: BBC Japan and India’s growing bonhomie is often touted as a counter to China’s geopolitical clout across Asia, particularly in the Indian Ocean region, where the former’s recent Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) is cited as in direct competition with Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).[i] Such a power struggle … Continue reading Sri Lanka: Battleground for an Asian Power Imbroglio?
The Limits of Hard Power in Trump’s Afghanistan and South Asia Strategy
By: Stephanie Pillion, Columnist Photo Credit: US Department of Defense In a speech to Congress on August 21, 2017, President Donald Trump outlined his strategy for the Afghanistan and South Asia region. President Trump’s speech focused on three core pillars, which balance the use of hard with soft power in US strategy for the region. … Continue reading The Limits of Hard Power in Trump’s Afghanistan and South Asia Strategy
What CPEC Can Do for Pakistan’s Internal Security
By: Trisha Ray, Columnist Photo Credit: CPEC Official Website The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of the “One Belt One Road” (OBOR) project, has been compared by Bloomberg to the Marshall Plan in terms of its potential economic legacy.[i] However, the CPEC’s most enduring legacy will be in the realm of security. Its infrastructural and … Continue reading What CPEC Can Do for Pakistan’s Internal Security
Demonetization: The Stumbling Block in Modi’s India?
Photo Credit: Quartz By: Trisha Ray, Columnist On November 8, 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unexpectedly announced that all high-value currency notes would no longer be legal tender, effective midnight.[i] This declaration made valueless 86% of the currency in circulation at the time.[ii] The lack of transparency, forethought and planning that accompanied this policy … Continue reading Demonetization: The Stumbling Block in Modi’s India?
Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss: The Necessity of Continuity in Uzbekistan
Photo Credit: Kremlin Official Website By: Patrick Savage, Columnist On December 4th, 2016, Uzbekistan will go to the polls to choose its second president in its 25 years as an independent state. The results of that election will likely have no impact on the political status quo within Uzbekistan. Considering ongoing global instability, a continuation … Continue reading Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss: The Necessity of Continuity in Uzbekistan
The Looming Threat of the Islamic State in Pakistan
Photo Credit: Long War Journal By: Nicole Magney, Columnist In the battle against the Islamic State (IS), the United States and its allies have rightly focused on areas where the group controls territory, like Iraq and Syria, as well as IS ‘provinces’ of particular concern, like Libya. However, the group’s presence further east in Pakistan … Continue reading The Looming Threat of the Islamic State in Pakistan
India’s Act East Policy: A Track Record and Recommendations for the Future
Photo Source: ASEAN.org By: Trisha Ray, Columnist When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s new Act East Policy in 2014, his statements were met with optimism about the prospect of the world’s largest democracy finally living up to its potential as a great power. The success of this turn is something of a question mark, … Continue reading India’s Act East Policy: A Track Record and Recommendations for the Future